Why is Dolphins-Chiefs game in Germany? How one of NFL’s best 2023 matchups wound up overseas, not prime time

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NFL international games typically don’t end up with pregame hype like the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins, as both teams are far above .500 and among the best in the AFC. Each enters the matchup at 6-2 as they head into the league’s second regular season venture in Germany. 

The Dolphins-Chiefs showdown could be a preview of the AFC title game and is one of the best games on the Week 9 schedule, arguably the best, yet won’t be played on American soil. This will be just the third game in the NFL International Series that will feature two teams entering the game with winning records, and it’s easily the most hyped contest. 

Why did Chiefs and Dolphins end up in Germany instead of the United States? The reason were explained in NBC’s Football Morning in America column this week: 

Kansas City wanted the game to be in Germany. Every team has to play a game at an international site once every eight years, and the Chiefs wanted their game to be in Germany since they have global marketing rights there.Divisional games typically aren’t international games, so the Chiefs — the home team — were limited to six home opponents. The Chiefs have a massive prime-time slate, with the Eagles, Bills, and Bengals on the schedule. All three were deemed late-season games by the league, with CBS getting the 4:25 p.m. doubleheader window in December for Chiefs-Bills and Chiefs-Bengals. Chiefs-Eagles was the “Monday Night Football” pick. With the Chiefs having nine home games, six opponents were eliminated for an international game based on divisional matchups and three were eliminated for other television windows. The Dolphins, Bears, and Lions were left. The…..

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